GAA chiefs considering a return to 'sin bin' system
The GAA Playing Rules Committee is focusing on trialling changes next season to improve Gaelic football as a spectacle, with strong consideration being given to using the sin bin again.
The sin bin, which involves temporarily substituting players guilty of foul play, as in rugby, was tried in 2005 and 2008, but has since been superseded as a deterrent for cynical play by the black card, which was introduced four years ago.
However, a perceived lack of consistency in applying the black card means the committee is giving serious thought to using the sin bin again as a punishment for foul play.
It’s understood the committee is also considering other measures, such as limiting the number of handpasses allowed by a team, in an effort to counteract the negativity surrounding Gaelic football.
Last year, the outgoing committee introduced rule changes which were broadly welcomed, such as the ‘mark’ for catching a kick-out which travelled beyond the 45-metre line, but those changes appear to have had little effect on the game’s entertainment value.
There was widespread criticism of Dublin for playing keep-ball in the closing stages of their clash this summer with Donegal, for instance, while clips of a Derry championship game between Slaughtneil and Magherafelt, with the latter unwilling to come outside their own 45-metre line to challenge for possession, also drew the ire of football fans when circulated on social media.
The committee is also understood to have focused on a recent headache in the game of hurling: The definition of the handpass.
Many observers feel the handpass is not policed at all in the small-ball game, with players appearing to throw the ball to teammates at will. The committee is expected to move to ensure that ‘throwing’ the ball is punished appropriately when it brings forward its recommendations at the end of this month.
